[Stan Cedarleaf]

We're in Phoenix for an early Christmas with family..... Presents of the hour......

Thomas stuff for the Grandson

and the Aristo-Craft Production.... How Model Trains Are Made for the other train nut...... The DVD is quite well done, very informative and fun to watch.

 

[NTCGRR]

poor kid ,make him dress up like that.... where is Stans hat and hanky???
Good DVD. must have for a club library.

 

[Torby]

At least it's not a pink bunny suit

 

[Randy Stone]

Torby

It sounds like you have first hand experince with Pink Bunny suits.

How about sharing the pics?

 

[Spule 4]

Kids love to see how things are made. I know I did, now I have a job where I get to see how things are made!

I think I will get a copy of that movie for my (self) kids. They too love seeing how things are made. They ask me to play this for them from time to time:

 

[Stan Cedarleaf]

Wonderful, Garrett.... A very detailed, scientific account of the making of hot dogs....

 

[Spule 4]

Posted By Stan Cedarleaf on 12/24/2008 8:56 AM
Wonderful, Garrett.... A very detailed, scientific account of the making of hot dogs....

Better than how they made them when I was a kid I bet

How long is the Aristo movie, and where can one buy it?

 

[Mike Reilley]

I too received the Aritocraft movie for Xmas. It's pretty good and the scenes in the Sanda Kan factory are illuminating. Talk about manual labor...woof. I had always wondered about several of the manufactureing processes and the movie explains them well. Data and emblems on cars and engines are pad printed...in ink...not paint. That explains why removing the data and emblems is different that removing paint. It's INK...not paint. The masking process is shown for car painting...and it is NOTHING at all like I thought it would be. In fact, I've never seen the masking processing shown used anywhere else.


My other surprises were the role that Aristocraft plays versus the role of Sanda Kan. Somehow, I thought Aristo was more involved in the actual design of the their products...but they're definitely much more into the business end. The products are technically designed, developed, manufactured, and packaged by Sanda Kan. I wished they'd spent more time on how the molds were made...they went through it very briefly...and the mold making process that makes the copper masters was not understood by me at all...then again, I'm into the "How It's Made" mentality of explanation...long and involved with lots of video.

This is a good $20 gift to any garden railroader. Get them from the Aristo web site. It's 35 minutes long.

 

[Spule 4]

Posted By Mike Reilley on 12/24/2008 10:52 AM
I wished they'd spent more time on how the molds were made...they went through it very briefly...and the mold making process that makes the copper masters was not understood by me at all...then again, I'm into the "How It's Made" mentality of explanation...long and involved with lots of video.




True, but this is unfortunately the nature of things.

Want to see how beer is made in the US and they take you to a brewery behdind glass for 15 min.

A teacher of mine who was a schoolboy in Germany in the 1930's got a tour with his school (part of "Heimatkunde" or homeland studies if memory serves), started with the spring where the water came from and ended with the trucking company that shipped it, and E-V-E-R-Y tedious step in between!

 

[aceinspp]

I have not seen the edited version but the original footage did not overly impress me. They would have had to do a major rework which needed additional film footage to make it worth wild. The oldest person in the clips was a supervisor. So now you know all these young folks are putting together your trains and what was interesting these folks never did the same job day to day.Then you wounder why locos got mis wired. Later RJD

 

[Torby]

Wet blanket

 

[Chucks_Trains]

So would it to safe to say that Aristo is just an importer of trains and not a monufacturer??

 

[Al McEvoy]

I think that would not be accurate Chuck. They are far more involved than just importing someone else's product. My impression, from the discussions by Lewis & Co. on the Aristo forum, is that Aristo-craft drives the product conception, design research, and marketing. I have not yet seen the video, but what Mike says does not square with what has been written by Lewis Polk and other company officials on their forum. I think maybe the technical design - what is required to actually manufacture the product - is probably left up to the engineers at the factory, but the initial model concepts and prototype specs are gathered and researched by Aristo people. I think Aristo decides what new models they think will sell well - and then proposes that along with the initial specs and photos etc. to the design and mfg engineers, and they get a feasability estimate along with final cost per unit before a decision is made. Don't forget that packaging, literature, and all the service and support info has to be created as well.

Ever heard of Cisco - the internet/network hardware company? (you may have one of their home products - Linksys). They once mfd everything but today they outsource almost everything. Their revised business model is famous and is studied by many business majors in college who are looking at supply chain management concepts.
(ref. http://www.supplychainbrain.com/archives/5.00.cisco.htm?adcode=75)

 

[Semper Vaporo]

Funny how the favoured business model fluctuates between all outside suppiers and total vertical integration. Years ago it was Commodore Business Machines that was lauded for owning everything from raw material mining to parts manufacturing to assembly of computers to distribution to retail stores... that was why they could sell computers so cheap.

 

[Al McEvoy]

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 12/24/2008 5:39 PM
Funny how the favoured business model fluctuates between all outside suppiers and total vertical integration. Years ago it was Commodore Business Machines that was lauded for owning everything from raw material mining to parts manufacturing to assembly of computers to distribution to retail stores... that was why they could sell computers so cheap.

The internet changed everything and made global supply chain management - once a logistical nightmare - very manageable, and takes full advantage of cheaper labor markets. Total vertical integration is now seen mostly as burdensome, being complex to manage and difficult/slow/costly to change in reaction to real or anticipated market changes, and mostly unnecessary.

 

[Mike Reilley]

Posted By Al McEvoy on 12/24/2008 5:30 PM
but what Mike says does not square with what has been written by Lewis Polk and other company officials on their forum.

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I wasn't trying to knock Aristo...as it seems my comments were taken. Aristo does the project development....PROJECT...and managment. Aristocraft measures the real engine if possible and photograph it...and make 2D drawings of the model they want produced. They document the curves of the real item...as those are difficult to show in a 2D drawing they explain. The movie shows John Mikesh on an engine doing that. If I understand their organization as explained briefly in the video, the project development is John Mikesh's job. They have other division managers for service and sales...and all three plus Lewis are shown participating in the business end of the project.

For the Project part...that would be drawings and specifications that (I think) are provided to Sanda Kan...Aristo produces them I think...least that's my take on what I saw. For the service division of Aristo, it means reviewing the designs to ensure whatever is built is repairable...and reliable. They show Navin doing this in one part. Throught the whole video Mr. Polk, head of sales, is visible with Lewis...clearly working the classical business efforts....sales, marketing, packaging, distribution, oversight, etc. That's their team.

As I saw the video, the engineering to make a PRODUCT is done by Sanda Kan. Sanda Kan does the 3D CAD so that the parts together and that CAM processes can be used. They design the subassemblies. They do the electronics design. They sub out the PC board fabrication the movie said...but they do the stuffing and soldering and wiring of the boards...and engines and cars. They even do the packaging design...and interestingly have a lab that is designed to test the product packaging to ensure the product is well protected.

This is NOT to say that Aristocraft is not involved all the way along. Whatever product is being made...it's still one of their projects...and what I saw was classical project management by Aristocraft. So...it's incorrect to say they are just a distributor of someone else's product...this is THEIR product...and that came through loud and clear.

 

[Al McEvoy]

Posted By Mike Reilley on 12/24/2008 6:28 PM
I wasn't trying to knock Aristo...as it seems my comments were taken.

Nahhh....no knock suspected, Mr. Mike. Just thought at first maybe your interpretation was a bit incomplete...but... your explanation here supports what I have inferred from their forum discussions. Thanks for the clarification (good explanation of the process by the way). I have to get this video...forgot to order it when they announced it a few weeks back. Aarrgghhh!

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I agree with how Mike explained (and re-explained) it. Aristo is very involved in the prototypical look and accuracy, especially of the "decoration" (that's what we call the painting and road name etc.).

And I think, especially lately, they do a fine job.

But the internal engineering and the mechanical design is done by Sanda Kan. The principal design of some of the major items has been done my Mr. Song in the US, but the implementation and execution of the design is done by Sanda Kan.

And Tom Ruby: not only is name calling not necessary, but YOU are one of the first people to bring to light the miswiring of Aristo products, the wiring in the tenders of EVERY Aristo steam locomotive!!!

Stick to the facts, there's plenty of data available to be objective and factual. (And the facts are that Aristo locomotives have more wiring problems than USAT or Bachmann, and they keep doing it).

Buy a steam loco today and I'll prove it to you.

By the way, in the video, do they still state that when they make a run of 1000 locos, they make ONE extra for parts? That was in the raw footage they showed the the public already.


Regards, Greg

 

[Torby]

So would it to safe to say that Aristo is just an importer of trains and not a monufacturer??



Not when they do the design, engineering, marketing and own the molds.

 

[Al McEvoy]

Posted By Greg Elmassian on 12/24/2008 9:36 PM
(SNIP)
And Tom Ruby: not only is name calling not necessary, but YOU are one of the first people to bring to light the miswiring of Aristo products, the wiring in the tenders of EVERY Aristo steam locomotive!!!
Stick to the facts, there's plenty of data available to be objective and factual. (And the facts are that Aristo locomotives have more wiring problems than USAT or Bachmann, and they keep doing it).

Greg - I obviously missed something. To what post are you referring here?